Hill Zaini

Hill was born on 13 October 1987, in Brunei. Singing has been his passion since a very young age. He performed regularly in school and on talent shows.^[2]

P2F^[3] is a television show in Brunei which has a similar concept to the Idol series. Hill was a contestant on the show in 2008 and was put through to the 'Final 12'. One of his most prominent performances was a duet of the Malay song "Lagu Jiwa Lagu Cinta".^[4] After 3 weeks in the 'Final 12', there was controversy as Hill had to withdraw from the show for personal reasons.^[5]

After P2F, Hill was given the lead role in the RTB (Radio Television Brunei) TV series Aku Bukan Milikmu (I'm Not Yours) which was aired in May 2009.^[6] This was Hill's first venture into acting and was a hit in Brunei.^[7] This was followed by starring roles on other RTB dramas Usaha, Rindu Lagi and Korban Kasih which were aired in the latter part of 2009.^[6]

After being spotted by a talent scout, Hill headed to London, England and signed with Sensible Records.^[1][8] His first single, "Stay in the Middle", a duet with Irish platinum-selling artist Samantha Mumba, was released to iTunes in August 2009,^[9] with an album scheduled for release in 2010.^[2] Hill would be the first Bruneian to have a record contract with an international label and to have released a song with an international pop star.^[10]

The music video for "Stay in the Middle" features a cameo appearance by US recording artist Mariah Carey. The superstar was so impressed with Hill's performance at an event in London that she agreed to appear in the video.^[11] It was a recipient of a 2010 AVIMA (Asia Pacific Voice Independent Music Award) for Most Mindblowing Music Video where it came in third place.^[12]

He was Brunei Pelangi FM's 'Spotlight Artist' in September 2009 and 'Artist of the Month' in May 2010.^[13][14]

In March 2010, Hill released a single exclusively for his Bruneian fanbase entitled "Buat Selamanya".^[15] The song entered straight into the Brunei Kristal FM Top 20^[16] and reached number 1 on Pelangi FM.^[13]

In July 2010, his third single, "I Heard", was released to iTunes as well as radio stations in Brunei.^[17] It reached number 1 on Brunei's Pelangi FM chart in September 2010.^[13] The single's music video stars Kristin Kreuk^[18] and Faye Dunaway.^[19]

Hill performed at the Sounds of Hope Charity Gala Night on 3 October 2009. The concert aimed to raise awareness about poverty in Brunei.^[20] Hill said of his involvement with the charity: "I am a sensitive person, so it is actually saddening to learn that these poverty-stricken families are most of the time mistreated or looked down upon. Help the poor, like how you would want to be helped if you were in their position."^[10] The concert was one of the most successful and extravagant shows in Brunei in 2009.^[21]

On 13 March 2010, he performed at The Noble Gift Gala in London, which was hosted by Eva Longoria.^[22] The event raised money for Make-A-Wish Foundation UK, which grants wishes to terminally ill children,^[23] and Eva's Heroes, an organization founded by Eva Longoria which aims to enrich the lives of children with special needs.^[24]

Singles

Music videos